Reading might have won but Shaun Goater's season with the Royals got off to the worst possible start on Saturday.

The Bermudian striker, top-scorer last year with 13 goals despite only starting 27 games, was a passenger on the bench as Steve Coppell's men beat Brighton 3-2 in a see-saw thriller.

But it would have been an exceptionally frustrating afternoon for Goater, who has never quite attained first choice status at the club under new manager Coppell, and who wasn't even given 90 minutes in any of Reading's five pre-season games.

Goater remained an unused substitute as goals from Dave Kitson, James Harper and Nicky Forster gave Reading their victory in the opening game of the new Coca-Cola Football League Championship on Saturday at the Madejski Stadium.

It is not the start to the new campaign that Goater wanted after a frustrating season last year when he was 'rested' when on a hot scoring streak and never recovered his form nor his place in the side.

Despite two goals against Nicaragua in a friendly for Bermuda, Goater was a passenger in the World Cup qualifying ties with El Salvador after a calf strain left him unable to complete the first game and left him on the sidelines for the decisive loss at the National Sports Centre.

Although getting the all clear from the Reading physio on his calf injury, Goater has not yet been given a start in pre-season for the club he joined for ?500,000 in the summer of 2003.

Ultimate professional though he is, Goater - who enjoyed legendary status at Manchester City and an all-but guaranteed place in the starting eleven each week - is unlikely to be enjoying his fall from favour, especially in this, the twilight of his career.

Reading travel to West Ham tomorrow night with Goater, no doubt, desperate to return to the starting line-up, a position he earned the right to take for granted after hatfuls of goals and years of service at all levels of the English game.